Tuesday, April 04, 2017

Cat Tales

I hate to slam a local business but I will no longer be using Dayton South
Veterinary Clinic located at 3200 Wilmington Pike Kettering, Ohio
45429 or the services of Dr. Daniel T. Brauer.

On February 20, 2017 the wife took one
of our cats, Hunter, to the local Emergency Vet because she was
constipated and had not had a bowel movement for several days. They
did some tests and a day later we were able to take her home and were
$1,290.96 poorer. The working diagnosis was as follows; Obstipation:
large stool that is hard and not able to pass. Dehydration. Urinary
tract infection with bacteria. Early kidney compromise with mild
elevation of kidney value and arthritis where the back meets the
pelvis. BTW, this cat is 18 years old. We came home with some
antibiotics and a 10 day supply of Lactulose which is a prescription
laxative. We scheduled an appointment for her to visit with our
regular vet at the above mentioned clinic on March 1st.
They kept her for three days and did a series of tests focusing on
the kidney issue and the bill for this ended up being another $1,390 because of some special diet food. Some of
those charges for medication and treatment could probably be disputed.

There is a $24.00 charge for ear cleaning. A $43.00 charge for
Tresaderm which is used to treat skin disorders. A total charge of
$107.94 for 7 doses of Famotidine which is used to treat ulcers. The
cat was NOT diagnosed with ear problems, dermatitis or ulcers. Did
they really perform these treatments? We will never know.The cat isn't talking and I can no
longer trust this clinic to tell the truth. They sent us home with an
expensive kidney diet that we were told Hunter loved but she actually
wouldn't eat unless we deprived her of her regular food, and an
antibiotic called Baytril that could have nasty side effects that we
were not informed of.

Once home Hunter was happy and acting
normal. We continued giving Lactulose in a smaller dose then held
back about 3 ml of the Lactulose to see if she was fine with the
bowel movements. She could detect the Baytril pills in her food (they smell awful) so we
had to crush them and add some water so we could shoot it into her
mouth with a syringe. Once we learned that a side effect could be
irreversible blindness we stopped the Baytril. We don't need a blind
18 year old cat. On March 30, 2017 we noticed that Hunter was
straining to poop again. She was successful but it appears that
Lactulose would be something she would need for the remainder of her
life. We made an appointment with Dr. Brauer so that we could get a
prescription for the Lactulose. Here is where we began to distrust
his services and question his credibility. He told us the cats ears
were dirty and he could clean them. That was declined. That service
was supposed to have been done 4 weeks earlier. We paid for it. He
then went in the back room, returned and presented me with a 160 ml
bottle of Lactulose. So I pay the bill. It is $180.00. That is $52.00
for the office visit and $128.00 for the 6 oz bottle of laxative that
grants 3 refills that I have since discovered can be bought through
Kroger Pharmacy for $7.00. Online, a 16 oz bottle is around $16.00. Here is what Drugs.com lists for pricing.

Here is what a $128.00 bottle of Lactulose looks like and here is the bill to prove it.

It gets better. The next day I go to
return the bottle for a refund and get a prescription. They will not
take the medicine back and refund my credit card. Dr. Brauer and one of his employees both stated that they can't by law
take back the medicine. That is not true. There is no law that states that he can not do this. He can take it back and refund the money. What he can not legally do is re dispense the medicine. He has to destroy it and in doing so is at a loss. Fine I get it. He is still a liar though. How about charging me $7.00
for the bottle and refund the difference. They won't do that either.
He could offer to sell me the drug for $20 which is still excessive but a more reasonable choice than having me pay $128.00. He didn't. Fine, I will contest the charge with the credit card company and he
can explain to them why he charges 18 X the market rate for his
medicine. He was fine with that idea. I can also file a complaint with the
Better Business Bureau and post a negative review on the clinic
Facebook page. He can explain to the BBB and the 763 fans on Facebook why he charges excessive fees for medication. Now he charges me $10 for the “Outside Pharmacy”
prescription (which he is allowed to do) so I can get the next bottle for $7.00 but circles zero
refills. What a racket. He is willing to prescribe the same
medicine through his pharmacy and charge $128.00 each for up to three
refills but is not willing to prescribe the same for using a regular
pharmacy that charges just $7.00.

As far as I am concerned the credibility of
this business is completely shot and I can no longer trust any of the
staff to tell me the truth. Never take your pet to this place if you
don't wish to be taken advantage of.